From Hotel to Hospital

We departed HCMC Saturday morning for the long trip home.  It is so easy flying with little angels.  We arrived early to the airport so we could ensure we had the seats with the bassinet, a necessity with twins.  One of the customer service representatives from EVA Airways moved us from the economy check-in line to the first class line and made sure we were taken care of from HCMC to Toronto.   Once checked in, we moved to the security line where everyone in line let us move right to the front.  Once through, a lady from the Vietnamese authorities ensured we had no issues departing Vietnam.  At the gate, the
girls created a sea as people gathered around them to watch them play.  Most questions and inquiries were about their health.  I guess most people saw what Johanne and I saw in these little angels, big hearts willing to fight for their lives.  The first leg of the flight went very well.  The girls did not mind the take-off or the landing.  Once in Taipei,  the outstanding service
from EVA Airways continued.  They met us as we departed and again ensured we had the good seats and a bassinet.  The girls traveled so well and slept most of the flight.  Again, we ran into very helpful people and the Canadian customs lady ensured we were processed quickly so we could continue our journey home.  A precious friend met us in Toronto and rented a van to make the ride home comfortable.  The van ride home again went very very well.  We made it home around 2 am and then the kids woke up one by one, and each child eagerly came to greet their new sisters.  We opened all the presents we brought home, it was like Christmas in November.  Then we went to bed.  Sunday was a slow day, we just hung out as a family and had some good friends come by to meet the girls.  Johanne and I realized how much we had missed the kids and how much they missed us.  We can never both go away.  The children were well looked after but as a family, both parents cannot leave at the same time as it does not work for our family situation.
Monday the children went to school and Johanne and I settled back into our home.  Tuesday started off with getting the kids to school, the dog running away and Johanne, the girls, Toan and I departing the house to get the health cards and to get to the hospital to get the girls checked out.  We made it to service Ontario first thing in the morning with the dog running
lose in the neighbourhood.  Again, the girls’ charms enabled us to cut the line and see the representative immediately, and within 30 minutes we had a health card number.
We immediately went to the children urgent care clinic in Kingston to get our little girls checked out.  They took one look at the girls and they were admitted to KGH to have comprehensive testing done to see what is wrong with the liver.
After two full days in the hospital, we know what we seemed to already have known, with a couple of exceptions.  The girls have a problem with the liver.  What type of liver problem, we still do not know.  The girls are malnourished.  We are not sure if it is because of the unknown liver issues, or something else.  I do know they like to super formula they are on and they drink it non-stop and I mean non-stop.  They started with 60 ml bottle every hour for the first 24 hours.  I guess they needed it.
They tested the bone density to confirm the girls' ages which is between 15 to 18 months.  They girls have thrush in their mouths which may be one of the reasons the girls find it difficult to eat as it hurts.  Other than that, they are having every other test to find out what is wrong with the liver.  At this point the doctors are eliminating conditions or diseases one by one.  The girls will have a liver biopsy next week and they may also need to take bone marrow.  They will also be genetically tested.  There is a dietitian looking at what the girls are consuming to make sure they are getting everything they need.  
What I know is the girls are in the right place.  They are sick, they need help, and they seem to be doing a little better now that they are drinking more.  I cannot wait to get them back home again and I hope we can have a game plan for their treatment soon.
I know I said this before.  I am not sure where we are going on this road and I still do not know where we will all end up.  But I do know I have a lot of back up as we take the journey.

Michael